Mechanism for affixing postage stamps to envelopes and for sealing the flap



Jan. 16, 1968 E. A. GOVATSOS 3,364,095

MECHANISM FOR AFF'IXING POSTAGE STAMPS TO ENVELOPES AND FOR SEALING THE FLAP Filed Jan. 2, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. EDWARD A. GOVATSOS BY ATTORNEYS Jan. 16, 1968 GOVATSOS 3,364,095

'- MECHANISM FOR AFFIXING POSTAGE STAMPS TO ENVELOPES AND FOR SEALING THE FLAP Filed Jan. 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. EDWARD A. GDVATSOS WWW ATTORNEYS Jan. 16, 1968 v GOVATSOS 3,364,095

MECHANISM FOR AFFIXING POSTAGE STAMPS TO ENVELOPES AND FOR SEALING THE FLAP 4 Sheets-Sheet 25 Filed Jan. 2, 1964 INVENTOR.

EDWARD A. GOVATSOS BY ATTORNEYS Jan. 16, 1968 E. A. GOVATSOS 3,364,095 MECHANISM FOR AFFIXING POSTAGE STAMPS TO ENVELOPES AND FOR SEALING THE FLAP 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 2, 1964 INVENTOR. EDWARD A. GOVATSOS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,364,095 MECHANISM FGR AFFIXING POSTAGE STAMPS TO ENVELOPES AND FOR SEALING THE FLAP Edward A. Govatsos, 215 Turnpike St., Canton, Mass. 02021 Filed Jan. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 335,209 7 Claims. (Cl. 156-442) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for aflixing postage stamps from a roll of' This invention relates to a mechanism for moistening an area on the surface of an object, then severing a gummed label such as a postage stamp from a connected series of such labels or stamps, and applying the severed label or stamp to the moistened area. More particularly, the invention relates to a mechanism for afi'ixing a postage stamp from a roll of stamps to an envelope having the customary gummed flap, and for simultaneously sealing the envelop flap.

Among advantages claimed for this mechanism are its compactness and simplicity of construction and operation despite certain obstacles that are herein described.

US. Government postage stamps in the form of a coiled strip are furnished with printing on the outside of the coil and with the image right side up facing the viewer as the strip of stamps is being payed out toward the viewers left. Any arrangement for automatically applying such stamps right side up to the upper right corner of envelopes of various sizes traveling in the same direction, that is, toward the left, precludes the use of a simple, fixed triplever to be engaged by the leading edge of the envelope for the purpose of triggering a mechanism for applying a stamp in its proper place on the envelope. Such a triplever would normally require adjustment to each envelope length, which complication would be undesirable. Since the position of the postage stamp must refer to the right hand edge of the envelope, any trip activated by that edge would not require adjustment. Hence, with the envelope traveling toward the left, the triggering act-ion shouldtake place at the instant of disengagement of the trip lever by the envelope, rather than at the instant of engagement.

This action of disengagement which is required must necessarily be preceded by the action of engagement. But, in a machine which for purposes of simplicity and low cost is provided with but a single pair of rollers for driving the envelope such a trip lever which operates with the compound motion of first engaging and then disengaging the envelope is undesirable for the following two reasons. If such a trip lever were positioned to engage the envelope before it reaches the drive rollers, it would offer resistance to the manual introduction of the envelope to the rollers. On the other hand, if such a trip lever were positioned to operate by engaging and disengaging the envelope after it has passed through the drive rollers, the envelope, hav- 3,364,095 Patented Jan. 16, 1968 ing stopped traveling under power, cannot be used to initiate any operation depending on its continued travel.

This invention comprises an envelope-sealing and postage stamp-applying mechanism to which may be manually introduced envelopes from right to left without encountering any trip lever resistance. Each envelope upon being propelled by drive rollers triggers a sequence of the necessary machanical operations, by simple engagement of a trip lever.

A feature of this invention is that only a single pair of driver rollers is required to engage the envelope. This avoids the cost of multiple rollers, chains or belts.

Another feature of thi invention is that despite the non-engagement by the leading edge of the envelope with the trip lever until immediately after being gripped by the drive rollers, the operations of sealing the flap and applying the stamp take place on the envelope before it has passed through the drive rollers. This leaves space immediately to the left of the drive rollers free so that the envelops can fall clear for stacking purposes, thus saving the cost of any special stacking mechanisms or devices, or the necessity for high speed operation of the drive rollers for the purpose of throwing the envelope clear of any obstruction.

Another feature of this invention is that the trip lever does not directly initiate the mechanical cycle, but that it relays this function to a secondary trip lever which waits until the trailing edge of the envelope reaches the appropriate position. This enables it to handle an envelope of unlimited length using a powered drive roller of relatively small diameter which has a shaft in common with a single-revolution-type cycling device for performing the operations involved in stamp affixing. To understand the practical significance of the above statement consider that if the trip lever did, at the instant of engagement, directly activate a single revolution clutch mounted on the same shaft as the powered drive roller, the clutch would complete its single revolution, and therefore the operations directly generated by it, in the same time as the powered drive roller. To take an extreme case, if the circumference of the drive roller were, for example 5 inches, a 25 inch long envelope would be less than one fourth way through the rollers when the stamp affixing operation was complete, which is not the result desired. The feature of the secondary trip lever precludes the necessity for a large diameter drive roller, or of separate shaft mounting of the single revolution clutch mechanism, either of which would increase the cost of such a machine.

Another feature of this invention is that in the stamp feeding device, neither accuracy of construction nor of adjustment is required with reference to the spacing on the strip of postage stamps, between perforated holes, or between lines of perforations, nor is initial manual indexing of the stamp strip required. The device is self indexing.

FIGURE 1 shows a front elevation of a machine embodying the invention, details not necessary for an understanding of the mechanism being omitted, and some of the elements being simplified for greater clarity;

. FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing principally the drive elements;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a schematic arrangernent showing the functional relationship of triggering and moistening elements;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view, on a lager scale, of the stamp feeding mechanism; and

FIGURE 5 shows the contour of the driven friction clutch plate, held at rest by engagement with a triggering latch-lever.

. With reference to specific details in the drawings:

1 and 2 are parallel panels spaced with respect to each other and attached to a base 3, the whole serving as a frame for the machine. It is understood that bearing holes in the frame may be appropriately provided with bushings according to standard practice and that projecting elements may be made separate or integral with the frame or may be changed in form or position as convenience may dictate provided that functional relationships as shown are preserved.

4 is a shaft journalled in the panels 1 and 2 and powered to rotate continuously in a counterclockwise direction by a motor, not shown. 5 is a drive roller which is rigidly attached to the shaft and which, in engagement with a free turning roller 6, pulls envelopes 7 through the machine. The roller 6 is supported by an arm 6 and end of which is pivoted at 6" to the panel 1. The roller is pressed down against the roller 5 by a spring 6a which bears on the ann 6. The operator introduces the envelope manually from the right by sliding it over a thin platform or a table 8 with the addressed side up and the upper edge sliding along the flat surface of the vertical panel 1 which is adjacent to but spaced from the inner edge of the platform 8 and serves as a guide. If moistening and sealing of the flap is required, the envelope is introduced with the flap folded around the edge of platform 8 and passing under it, the platform being supported by its outer edge only. With this method of introducing the envelope, the flap passes with its gummed surface wiping against a flat wick 9 which dips into a water trough 10, the upper end of the wick being pressed against the under face of the platform 8 by a leaf spring 9'. The flap is pressed against the wick by the edge of blade 11 rocked by a weight 11. Whenever moistening of the flap is not desired, as in applying stamps to return envelopes, the envelopes are advanced to the feed rolls with the flaps upon the platfor 8 instead of underneath it. a

As an envelope is pushed toward the rollers 5 and 6 no obstacles, such as trip levers, latches, slide shoes or wipers, other than the flap moistening device, offer resistance to its passage. The leading edge of the envelope first encounters a small roller 12 which is supported by arms 12 pivoted at 12 to the panel 1 so that the roller 12 is suspended lightly close to but not touching platform 8, and is driven by a rubber-cord belt 13 connecting it to roller 6. This roller engages the leading edge of the leading stamp of the strip just before this stamp is severed from the strip, and applies the stamp to the surface of the envelope. The envelope then continues to the drive rollers 5 and 6 which engage it and firmly press the stamp on the upper face of the envelope and the flap on the under face. These rollers propel the leading edge of the envelope against an inclined trip arm 14 having a horizontal extension 51 pivotally mounted through bearing holes in panels 1 and 2. The lower end of the trip arm 14 rides in a circumferential groove 14' in the roller 5. A level 15 is secured at one end to the extension 51 to rock therewith and in its idle position is coupled magnetically and therefore releasably to a pivoted lever 16 through a permanent magnet 17 mounted on either lever, but shown as mounted on the lever 16. When an envelope, which is being advanced by the feed rolls, engages the arm 14 and rocks the lever 15 clockwise, the lever 15 pulls the lever 16 with it magnetically against the. tension of a spring 16 until a tooth18 on the lever 16 disengages tooth 19.0n a lever 20. Further movement of the lever 16 is prevented by the engagement of an adjustable stop-screw 21 carried by the lever 16 with an abutment 22, but the lever 15 can rock further to permit the envelope to pass under the lower end of the trip arm 14, the lever 15 being pulled away from the magnet 17 for this purpose. The lever is pivoted at one end on a shaft 23. At the other end of the lever 20 is mounted a slide shoe 24v which drops down on the surface of the traveling envelope 7 when the tooth 19 on the arm 20 is released. When the trailing form 8 so that the arm 20 rocks downward and a lug 25 which is fixed on the arm 20 pushes down on a latch lever 26, rocking this lever clockwise. Latch lever 26 has a tooth 27 which is normally in engagement with tooth 28 protruding from the edge of a clutch-plate 29. Clutch: plate 29 is rigidly attached to a disk cam 30 which has a hub 31 and is loosely mounted on the shaft 4. A constantly rotating friction plate 32 is pressed against a face of the plate 29 and tends to rotate it, such rotation being prevented when the tooth 28 on the plate 29 is engaged by the tooth 27 on the lever 26. The plate 32 is driven by a plate 34 which is fixed on the rotating shaft 4 and is linked to the plate 32 by a pin 33. A number of springs 34' between the plates 32 and 34 press the plate 32 against the plate 29.

When the trailing edge of an envelope 7 passes beyond the left tip of the slide-shoe and removes its support, slideashoe 24 drops with the lever 20 so that the tooth 27 disengages from tooth 28, permitting the clutch-cam combination 29, 30, to rotate counterclockwise. Y

The end portion of a wick 35 having a rectangular cross section and made of any appropriate wicking material such as felt is carried in a cross arm 36 projecting from the lever 20. Cross arm 36 is in the form of an inverted channel and extends forward through an opening 37 in panel 1 a distance sufficient to overhang a margin of an envelope equal to the height of a postage stamp. The other end of the wick 35 dips into a water through which may be similar to or an extension of the trough 10. The front or moisture applying end of said Wick is covered by a thin woven or knitted casing 37', not shown on FIGURE 3, which is made of any trough anti-fraction type plastic textile fibers such as Teflon or nylon. This is for the purpose of reducing frictional drag of the envelope and for eliminating wear on the wick fibers while not significantly reducing the moistening properties of the wick.

When an envelope passes from under the shoe 24 and allows the lever 20 to drop, the wick 35 falls on the surface of the moving envelope and Wipes a path of moisture along the upper right hand corner of such envelope on an area on which a gummed postage samp is to be applied. As this moistened area approaches the roller 12, the stamp strip 44 is advanced until the leading edge of the stamp passes under the roller 12 at the moment when the moistened area reaches the roller. At the same moment the stamp is cut off and falls on the moistened area of the envelope. It at once passes under the roller 12 with the envelop and is pressed thereby and by the roller 6 into adhesive contact with the envelope. This operation is brought about by a disk cam 30 which revolves with the plate 29. A cam follower 40 which bears on the edge of the cam 31 is carried at an end of a bellcrank 41 which rocks on a shaft 42 extending between the panels 1 and 2. A pawl or feeding claw 43 is pivoted at 55 to the other end of the bell-crank 41, the pawl consisting of a number of thin plates independently mounted side by side on the pivot pin 55, each thin plate being thinner than the diameter of one of the perforations 45 in the strip 44 of postage stamps which define successive stamps. The thin plates are preferably closer together than the perforations in a transverse row of perforations in a strip of stamps. When the pawl is advanced with the points of the thin plates sliding over the surface of the strip 44 of stamps, some of the points of the pawl will engages in some of the perforationsand will feed the strip forward, no precise spacing of the thin plates being required..

The postage stamps 44 aredrawn from a roll 44' loosely carried by a pin 44" projecting from the panel 1. The leading portion of the strip slides on an inclined plate 46projecting from a block 52 which is attached to a side of the panel 1. The plate 46 has guide flanges 53 to keep the strip of stamps in line. When the cam disk 30 makes a revolution, the high portion of the cam rocks the bellcrank 41 clockwise, causing the pawl 43 to feed the strip 44 of stamps forward. The low portion of the cam permits the bell-crank to be rocked back by a spring 47 which is attached to a knife blade 48 one end of which is pivoted as at 49 to the bell-crank 41. The other end of the knife 48 is the cutting edge which is held against an edge 52 of the block 52 by the spring 47. When the bell-crank 41 rocks counterclockwise, the knife 48 slides down the edge 52' to severe the leading postage stamp from the strip 44. At the same time, the pawl 43 is retracted. A springpressed finger 54 presses lightly on the strip 44 to prevent its being dragged back by the retraction of the pawl.

Shortly after the leading end of the stamp strip has been advanced and the leading stamp has been cut off, the interval being just sufiicient for the envelope to advance in contact with the wick 35 a distance equal to the width of a postage stamp, the high part of the cam 30 engages a pad 50 on a leg 50' which projects down from the lever 20. This rocks the lever upward so that tooth 19 catches on the tooth 18 and holds the lever up until released by the next operation. The upward rocking of the lever 20 raises the wick 35 and also the lug 25, releasing the lever 26 so that the tooth 27 bears on the edge of the cam disk 29 and by engagement with the tooth 28 stops the rotation of the cam disk upon the completion of one revolution thereof. The cam disk is thus locked against further rotation until the lever 20 drops again as hereinbefore described.

If the pieces of mail to be stamped are overweight so as to require an additional stamp, the envelopes can be run through the machine again for the application of a second stamp to the left of the first stamp. For this purpose the wick 35 must be actuated sooner in the progress of the envelope through the machine. To accomplish this, a second shoe 39 is provided. For convenience this second shoe is made integral with the first shoe 24 and is ordinarily disposed in an inoperative position as shown in FIGURE 1. When a second stamp is to be aflixed, the member 38 of which the shoes 24 and 39 are parts is adjustably rocked to move the shoe 24 to an inoperative position and to move the shoe 39 into an operative position wherein it will engage the surface of an envelope 7 at a point more distance from the wick 35 when the lever 20 is released. Thus when the trailing edge of the envelope passes from under the shoe 39, the wick 35 drops on the envelope at a point further removed from the trailing edge, that is, at a point to the left of the previously aflixed stamp. Since the relative positions of the roller 12 and wick 35 have not changed, the second stamp will be applied to the moistened area to the left of the first stamp.

I claim:

1. Mechanism for applying gummed labels to envelopes, comprising a table on which an envelope is slidable, means for advancing an envelope across the table, a moistening device supported above said table having means responsive to the trailing edge of an envelope sliding on said table passing a predetermined point on the table to lower said moistening device into contact with said sliding envelope for a predetermined interval of time whereby to moisten and area on said envelope having a predetermined spatial relation to the trailing edge thereof, said responsive means including a contact shoe normally supported over said table, mechanism engageable by the leading edge of said sliding envelope to release said moistening device to permit said shoe to contact said sliding envelope, and means for automatically applying a gummed label to said moistened area.

2. Mechanism as described in claim 1, said means for lowering the moistening device including a shoe, a wick, means for supporting said shoe and wick above said table and horizontally spaced from each other, means triggered by engagement with the leading edge of an envelope sliding on said table to release said supporting means, whereby said shoe drops upon the sliding envelope and drops further when the trailing edge of the envelope passes from under the shoe to bring said wick into contact with said envelope, and means for elevating said supporting means after a predetermined distance of travel of the envelope following the release of said supporting means.

3. Mechanism as described in claim 1, said means for applying a gummed label comprising a support for a coiled strip of labels, means for guiding the leading portion of the strip into proximity with said table, feeding means for automatically advancing said strip in the direction of travel of the sliding envelope a distance equal to the width of a label each time the mechanism is operated, and means for severing the leading label from the strip at the end of each feeding operation.

4. Mechanism for applying postage stamps to envelopes, comprising a table on which an envelope is slidable, a light-weight constantly driven guide roller on said table near the discharge end thereof, a constantly driven feed roller beyond and adjacent to the discharge end of said table, a top feed roller spring-pressed on said driven feed roller to grip and advance an envelope presented thereto from said table, a wick, means for maintaining said wick in moist condition, means normally supporting said wick above said table at a point spaced from said rollers, a shoe supported above said table by said supporting means at a point spaced further from said rollers, said supporting means including a trip arm operable by the leading edge of an envelope fed by said rollers to release said shoe for engagement with said envelope so as to be temporarily supported thereby, said wick being arranged to drop into contact with said envelope when the trailing end of the envelope passes from under said shoe, means triggered by the descent of said supporting means for restoring said supporting means to its normal position after a predeter mined interval, means for supporting a roll of stamps above said table, and means for automatically applying a stamp from said roll to the area of said envelope which has been moistened by said wick.

5. Mechanism as described in claim 4, said automatic stamp applying means comprising means supporting a coiled strip of postage stamps defined by transverse rows of perforations, and means for automatically advancing the leading portion of said strip in timed relation to the dropping of said wick and severing the leading stamp at its line of perforations.

6. Mechanism as described in claim 5, said automatic means including a rockably mounted bellcrank, a cam follower at one end of said bell-crank, a pawl pivoted at the other end of said bell-crank, and a one-revolution cam engaged by said cam follower to reciprocate said pawl.

7. Mechanism for applying gummed labels to envelopes having gummed flaps and for sealing said flaps, comprising a base, a vertical plate rising from said base, a thin horizontal table having two long edges one of which is close to but spaced from said vertical plate, means on said base supporting said table by its other long edge, whereby an envelope can be slid on said table from one end thereof to the other with its top edge bearing'against said vertical plate and its flap extending through the space between the vertical plate and the table to the under side of the table, a wick under said table; means for maintaining said Wick in moist condition, means for holding an end portion of said wick against the under face of the table in position to be engaged by the flap of an envelope on the table, means for guiding the flap of said envelope into contact with said wick, a second wick suspended above said table, means for maintaining said second wick in moist condition, control means adapted to bear on the surface of an envelope sliding over said table for releasing said second wick to fall onto said envelope when the trailing edge of the envelope moves beyond said control means, whereby to moisten an area on said envelope, means for depositing a gummed label on the moistened area, and power-driven 7 1 8 .7 feed rollers adjacent to the discharge end of said table ar- 3,124,500 3/ 1964 1 Benedetto 156442 X ranged to advance an envelope on said table presented 3,101,282 8/1963 Glassco et a1. F f C1 6 FOREIGN PATENTS e e 29,570 10/1911 Great Britain. UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 170 949 2 19 Allen 5 442 X M- BERGERT, Primary Examiner.

3,238,083 3/1966 Snyder. PHILIP DIER, Examiner. 

